Land Rover Explore Smartphone Review

Outdoor modular.
The Land Rover Explore is not simply capitalizing on the name of a famous car brand—it is also intended to be a very special rugged phone: With its attachable Adventure Pack, the phone is ready for days of exploration. It is also robust and waterproof to boot. Is it a must for outdoor enthusiasts?

People who drive Land Rovers tend to love the great outdoors and may want a smartphone to accompany them on their adventures in the wild. This appears to be what the auto manufacturer was thinking, at any rate. With the help of the Bullitt Group, the car brand is now making its debut in the smartphone market. Bullitt is also known as the manufacturer of the robust CAT smartphonesand the Kodak Ektra. The first smartphone released by the car brand is the Land Rover Explore, a rugged outdoor smartphone that bears a striking similarity to the company's automotive designs. The unique feature: The smartphone comes with a so-called "Adventure Pack", a module with a larger GPS antenna and an extra battery that can be attached to the back of the device with a magnet. More expansion packs are allegedly to come, converting the Land Rover Explore into a super-customizable outdoor phone.

The Land Rover smartphone is no budget device—the recommended retail price is a whopping 699 Euros (~$800). Our database is mostly populated with reviews of less expensive ruggedized smartphones. However, the difference in price may not necessarily be related to hardware configuration—after all, the Land Rover Explore comes with this mighty Adventure Pack. In the end, we chose three rugged devices for comparison: the Ulefone Armor X, the Blackview BV9000 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy XCover 4.

Case - Pressure-sensitive front on the Land Rover Explore

The Land Rover Explore is, of course, IP68 water- and dust-resistant, as is only befitting of a rugged smartphone. The case design is inspired by the Land Rover off-road vehicle. For example, the speaker grille on the front mimics the grille on the front of a car. The case is surrounded by a hefty metal frame. The display is protected not only by a raised frame, but the manufacturer also seals the display with a protective film in the factory. At a thickness of 14 mm (0.55 inches), the Land Rover phone has a pretty bulky build, but less so than many ruggedized phones from China. The case is very stable: It cannot be twisted, and applying pressure to the back side does not affect the smartphone. However, pressing on the front causes faint ripples to appear on the display.

64 GB of mass storage and 4 GB of RAM make sense for a mid-range smartphone. The storage space can be expanded with a microSD card, though the user then forfeits one of the two dual SIM slots. The manufacturer does not specify the maximum capacity of the microSD card, but the Land Rover Explore had no trouble with our 64 GB card. The card can be formatted as internal or external storage. Note: Apps cannot be stored on an external storage medium.

The USB Type-C connection on the bottom edge of the device gets by without a protective cover, transfers data at USB 2.0 speeds, and it supports USB OTG.

Software - Many outdoor apps come preinstalled on the Land Rover phone

The manufacturer chose to install pure Android 7.1.1 OS on the Land Rover Explore. An update to Android 8 is to follow. The security patches on our test device are dated from the beginning of May 2018, meaning they will need to be updated in the near future.

The Land Rover phone also comes with copious preinstalled software: In addition to the star chart app and the usual Strava and ViewRanger apps for outdoor enthusiasts, there is also a geocaching app. To the irritation of some users, the smartphone also comes with some advertising apps from Facebook preinstalled. Those who just want pure Android will first need to delete several apps, but anyone who uses outdoor apps will not have to install them.

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Communication and GPS - Few LTE bands and additional GPS antenna in the Land Rover Explore

The Land Rover Explore supports the fast WLAN standard 802.11 ac, at least according to the spec sheet—our speed measurements with our Linksys EA8500 reference router seem to contradict this claim: In our tests, the Land Rover Explore only reached data transfer speeds on par with 802.11 n devices and is substantially slower than the Ulefone Armor Xand the Blackview BV9000 Pro.

With just five supported LTE bands, only the basic necessities are on board. That is a shame for a phone you might want to take on a hiking trip in a far-away land. It is questionable whether users will be able to join an LTE network abroad. The reception was quite good in our well-developed German D2 network: Even indoors, we always had at least two bars of LTE reception.

An additional GPS ceramic patch antenna in the Adventure Pack is intended to improve GPS location services. However, our results from the GPS Test app show no difference between the device's capabilities on its own compared with the Adventure Pack attached. In general, the Land Rover Explore does a very good job where location services are concerned; it only had trouble positioning us indoors. Near a window and outdoors, the smartphone could ascertain its position with a very good accuracy level of up to 3 meters. Positioning with Google Maps, however, proves not to be as exact as we would like—other smartphones do a better job here.

The Land Rover smartphone completed our practical test, a bike tour with a Garmin Edge 520 professional navigator as a reference device, with the Adventure Pack attached. It recorded our path well—almost as precisely as the Garmin device. In everyday use, the smartphone should be well-suited for navigation tasks, though the lower level of accuracy in Google Maps worries us somewhat.

GPS Test indoors (with Adventure Pack)

GPS Test at a window (with Adventure Pack)

GPS Test outdoors (with Adventure Pack)

GPS Test indoors (without Adventure Pack)

GPS Test at a window (without Adventure Pack)

GPS Test outdoors (without Adventure Pack)

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Overview

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Forest

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – Bridge

GPS Land Rover Explore – Overview

GPS Land Rover Explore – Forest

GPS Land Rover Explore – Bridge

Phone Function and Call Quality - Good clarity

Android's standard phone app serves as the interface for making calls.

The speech quality is good, and the earpiece's maximum volume is quite high. Faint background noises mix with the sound of the conversation partner's voice, but they are not loud enough to be bothersome. At lower volumes, the background noises disappear. The microphone's recording of our voice was quite clear, regardless how loudly or quietly we spoke. The speech quality is also good over the speakerphone, though it has trouble with quiet voices.

Cameras - Moderate photo quality

Front camera shot

The Land Rover Explore has single cameras on the front and back of the device. The camera on the back side is recessed slightly into the case for extra protection. The camera sensor has a resolution of 16 megapixels and is supported by a dual LED flash. Overall, the photo quality is reasonable—finer details are often captured cleanly, though bright areas sometimes bloom. Our flowers' red petals have little in the way of definition. The snapshot of our surrounding environment is more satisfactory. In low light, both the illumination and the reproduction of details are reasonably good but by no means on par with the results achieved by high-end smartphones.

Videos can be recorded at a maximum of 1080p and 30 fps. Here, the camera tends slightly toward a softer focus, and the autofocus does not always react as quickly as we would like. On the other hand, the camera adjusts for lighting without any visible gradation, and overall the level of detail is quite good.

The Land Rover Explore's front camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. Its photos could stand to have more details, and bright areas bloom somewhat here as well. On the whole, however, this camera's imaging performance is also reasonably good.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

The camera performance in the regulated lighting conditions in our laboratory is also good: Colored areas look somewhat grainy, but lines are crisp and text on colored backgrounds is cleanly contrasted. The color reproduction is somewhat too dark in most cases.

ColorChecker colors photographed; the original color is digitally portrayed in the bottom half of each color patch

Test chart photographed

Test chart details

Accessories and Warranty - Land Rover Explore with lots of accessories

In addition to the hefty Adventure Pack with its extra battery and improved GPS antenna, the Land Rover's box contains a protective cover. The cover only fits properly when the Adventure Pack is attached. A special carabiner can clip to the back of the case—conveniently, just such a carabiner also comes in the box. A quick-charge device, USB cable and SIM ejector tool round off the set of accessories. Buyers can also purchase a battery pack that connects to the back of the Land Rover Explore, much like the Adventure Pack. The price of the battery pack is currently unknown.

Input Devices and Operation - Optional glove mode

The Land Rover phone uses Google's GBoard as its keyboard app, which comes standard on the Android OS. This keyboard enables users to type fluidly and offers several additional features and settings options.

The touchscreen is very sensitive in every area and is easy to operate. The menu buttons are located on the display; the left side of the case houses the big ribbed hardware buttons for volume and standby. They are comfortable to use and have a clear click point. The touchscreen also has a glove mode.

The option to operate the device with touchscreen gestures or movements does not come preinstalled on the smartphone.

Keyboard portrait mode

Keyboard landscape mode

Display - Land Rover Explore with bright screen

Subpixels

The 5-inch screen has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a very high average brightness level of 604 cd/m². Given that the brightness distribution is quite consistent (91%), large colored areas look uniformly bright.

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.

Screen flickering / PWM detected

79 Hz

≤ 20 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 79 Hz (Likely utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 20 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 79 Hz is very low, so the flickering may cause eyestrain and headaches after extended use.

In comparison: 52 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 9813 (minimum: 43 - maximum: 142900) Hz was measured.

Unfortunately, the black value (0.84 cd/m²) fails to impress and leaves the smartphone with a less than stellar contrast ratio of 754:1. As a result, colors on the display are not as brilliant as we would wish. At less than 20% brightness, we measured a substantial display flicker that could cause problems for some people. Sensitive users may want to try out the Land Rover at low brightness in the store before purchasing this device.

In our test with a spectrophotometer and the CalMAN software, we established that the display has a slight green cast. We also found that the display's color accuracy is somewhat less precise than those of our comparison devices.

CalMAN color accuracy

CalMAN grayscale

CalMAN color space

CalMAN saturation

Display Response Times

ℹ

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.

↔ Response Time Black to White

18 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 5 ms rise

↘ 13 ms fall

The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.8 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 16 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (25.5 ms).

↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey

36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined

↗ 15 ms rise

↘ 21 ms fall

The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.9 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 28 % of all devices are better.This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (40.7 ms).

The bright display enables users to see the screen content easily outdoors, even in bright environments. The reflective display surface can be problematic, however.

Even from very flat angles, the viewing-angle stability is excellent.

Outdoor use

Viewing angle

Performance - Fast, but expensive

The Helio X27SoC is not exactly common in our neck of the woods and belongs to the class of upper mid-range chips. As a result, the Land Rover Explore usually takes first place in our benchmarks compared to the rest of the devices on our list. The ARM Mali T880 MP4graphics unit also provides considerably more performance power than the GPUs in our comparison devices.

Games - The Land Rover Explore is good for gaming

For those who are recovering from a recent mountain-climbing adventure it is also possible to play games on the Land Rover Explore. Even brand-new games, such as the freshly released Asphalt 9, run smoothly—though the frame rate comes in at just below 30 fps. PUBG Mobile stutters on occasion; Shadow Fight 3, on the other hand, runs flawlessly above 30 fps. Ultimately, the Land Rover Explore is not the perfect gaming device, but it can certainly please users with intermediate requirements.

Touchscreen- and position sensor-based controls worked perfectly in our tests.

Asphalt 9

PUBG Mobile

Shadow Fight 3

PUBG Mobile

Settings

Value

Smooth

25 fps

Balanced

24 fps

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Shadow Fight 3

Settings

Value

high

42 fps

minimal

42 fps

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Asphalt 9: Legends

Settings

Value

High Quality

29 fps

Standard / low

29 fps

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Emissions - Land Rover Explore with front speaker

We measured a maximum temperature of 43.1 °C (109.6 °F) on the Land Rover Explore's case. This temperature is acceptable but could prove to be uncomfortably warm in the summer. In idle mode, the smartphone warms slightly to a maximum of 33.3 °C (91.9 °F), though this level of warmth is hardly palpable.

(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 41.4 °C / 107 F, compared to the average of 33.1 °C / 92 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.1 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 35.6 °C / 96 F, ranging from 22.4 to 51.7 °C for the class Smartphone.(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43.1 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 34.1 °C / 93 F(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.7 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 33.1 °C / 92 F.

Heat development front

Heat development back

Speaker

Speaker test Pink Noise

The speaker on the front can hardly be overlooked, given that it is covered with a large grille designed to mimic the grille on the front of Land Rover cars. The sound is good and reasonably loud. High tones are somewhat overrepresented, which can be bothersome at high volumes. Low mid-tones are present, though somewhat less audible than on high-end smartphones.

Speakers or headphones can be connected via Bluetooth or plugged into the 3.5 mm jack. Both function flawlessly and plugs hold securely in the jack.

Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)

Land Rover Explore audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (78.4 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.5% lower than median(+) | bass is linear (6.6% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(+) | balanced mids - only 3.6% away from median(+) | mids are linear (5.3% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(+) | balanced highs - only 4.3% away from median(+) | highs are linear (4.3% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (19.9% difference to median)Compared to same class» 12% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 81% worse» The best had a delta of 13%, average was 25%, worst was 44%Compared to all devices tested» 41% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 52% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

Samsung Galaxy XCover 4 audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.4 dB)Bass 100 - 315 Hz(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.9% lower than median(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.3% delta to prev. frequency)Mids 400 - 2000 Hz(±) | higher mids - on average 7.4% higher than median(+) | mids are linear (5.1% delta to prev. frequency)Highs 2 - 16 kHz(±) | higher highs - on average 6.3% higher than median(+) | highs are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (22.9% difference to median)Compared to same class» 35% of all tested devices in this class were better, 12% similar, 53% worse» The best had a delta of 13%, average was 25%, worst was 44%Compared to all devices tested» 60% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 33% worse» The best had a delta of 3%, average was 21%, worst was 53%

Battery Life - Mediocre battery life, except with additional pack

Turned off or in standby, the smartphone's energy consumption is quite low. The maximum power usage in idle mode, on the other hand, is rather high (3 watts). The bright display explains this disparity. 8.6 watts under maximum load is also the highest energy consumption rate among our comparison list.

Battery Life

At 8:49 hours, the Land Rover Explore's battery life in our WLAN test is not spectacular—but if you connect the hefty Adventure Pack with a full charge, the smartphone easily lasts a good 19 hours here.

The quick-charge device included in the Land Rover's box fully charges the smartphone in less than 2 hours. The Adventure Pack has its own power connection and needs to be charged separately from the smartphone.

Pros

Cons

-battery life mediocre without additional battery

-display seems breakable

Verdict - Modular and practical for outdoors

In review: Land Rover Explore. Test device courtesy of notebooksbilliger.de.

Simply as a smartphone, cost-wise you could say that the Land Rover Explore does not offer enough for its price: Its performance is weaker than other smartphones in this price bracket, and its display seems a little too exposed to survive a serious tumble unscathed. The battery life leans toward the mediocre, and the camera is no better than average. But the Land Rover Explore comes with a ton of accessories, and that makes all the difference. With its Adventure Pack, the Land Rover Explore converts into a behemoth in the realm of battery life—but it also weighs a total of 356 grams (0.78 lbs) and is quite bulky. The integrated GPS antenna did very well in our practical test, but the lack of precision in Google Maps is irritating.

The Land Rover Explore is a well-designed rugged smartphone with lots of accessories.

If desired, the display can get very bright, and you can operate the screen with gloves on. The device is water- and dust-proof and offers all the important functions you need from a ruggedized smartphone. The lack of protective covers on the connections could prove to be a problem—imagine needing to clean out the USB port after a mud bath. Because the manufacturer plans to release many exciting expansions for the Land Rover Explore—all of which will connect via the docking port on the back of the device—lovers of the great outdoors will probably find it worthwhile to take a closer look.